Carolina football needs time to find its sea legs.
There have been stories over the past few months that run the gamut, which is typical with the demands of traditional media competition, social media and no real stuff to report in real time. If you like recruiting news and speculation, this is your time.
Stories have said Tennessee transfer Ty Chandler is the key to our whole dad-gum season. Stories refuting that by calling Carolina’s schedule one of the easiest in the country. Stories that remind us the Tar Heels have to replace thousands of yards lost from 2019 and ’20.
Does Mack Brown’s third team, tenure II, have the makings of a challenger to Clemson for the ACC championship and College Football Playoff? Absolutely, but that won’t be evident out of the gate September 3 at Virginia Tech. So, Carolina has to find a way to win that one, first.
Hoping that the complicated and exciting NIL opportunities for some players to make actual money while in school, Brown will have to keep close watch on the preparation and motivation of this squad, hoping there are no distractions or dissension if some players make some money and others don’t.
Michael Carter and Javonte Williams, who both may be starters in the NFL this fall, will never be replaced by one or two other running backs. And Sam Howell has to gain the trust of talented younger receivers without the experience of Dazz and Dyami, also of the NFL.
All the positions on the football team meet with the coaches before going into larger meetings with the offense or defense and, occasionally, the entire squad. So when Brown says he has worries about the Running Backs Room, he knows Carter and Javonte aren’t in there anymore. But there is talent to begin replacing them.
Responsibility always starts with the coaches, from Brown to coordinators Phil Longo and Jay Bateman, all the way to the specific position coaches. And never more so than this season.
The expectations are enormous and Carolina can’t be as good or better than last year over the first half of the schedule. The coaches must be keener ability and execution scouts than ever before, using players with the talent and toughness to grow into their jobs while making sure the sum discovers a way to win early and keep winning.
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